Swedish autumn festival this weekend in Bishop Hill

[September 24, 2009]  BISHOP HILL -- The 38th annual Jordbruksdagarna, the Swedish autumn festival, will be celebrated on Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Bishop Hill State Historic Site. Jordbruksdagarna, which is Swedish for "earth work days," will feature demonstrations, performances, food, music, dance and games. The event is free and open to the public.

The Bishop Hill Heritage Association will host a variety of traditional craft demonstrations in the park both days, including spinning, weaving, rope making, wood carving and coopering. Hands-on activities in the park from noon to 4 p.m. both days will include corn husk doll making, cider pressing, brick making, corn shelling and old-time laundry. Kids' games take place at 2 p.m. both days. Even more traditional craft demonstrations will be taking place throughout the village.

A vintage "base ball" game at 2 p.m. Saturday will feature the Rock Springs Ground Squirrels from Decatur versus the hometown Bishop Hill Ox Boys at the ball diamond just north of Bishop Hill Park. Baseball of the 1860s was a gentlemanly game spelled as two words: base ball. An umpire attired in top hat and frock coat will first announce game rules -- a 25-cent fine for spitting, swearing or sweating, although the "no sweating" rule is usually waived. "Cranks," or fans, of the teams will be dressed in period clothing and may beat a bass drum when a good play is made by either team. Players do not wear gloves, the balls are softer than today's baseballs and therefore don't travel as far, and there is more reliance on savvy, place-hitting and proper field positioning. Games can be interrupted by a temperance march, a women's suffrage demonstration or a hungry ballplayer stealing chicken from a patron's picnic basket. The vintage base ball game is sponsored by the Bishop Hill Old Settlers' Association.

Performances in the park both days include Hammer and Pick at noon and 2 p.m. and the Nordic Dancers at 1 and 3 p.m. Storyteller Kathy Breese from Wyoming, Ill., will perform from noon to 3 p.m. in the children's area of the park. Banjolele will perform traditional string folk music on Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. north of the Colony Blacksmith Building.

A community church service will be at 10 a.m. on Sunday in the park, and participants should bring lawn chairs. The service is hosted by the Bishop Hill Community United Methodist Church.

Of course, traditional Swedish food will be in abundance. Traditional treats may be sampled by visitors in the park. The Bishop Hill Old Settlers' Association will serve beef barley stew, hardtack and rice pudding. Vendors will sell farm produce, baked goods, antiques and fall decorations.

All Bishop Hill restaurants, shops and bed and breakfasts will be open. The Bishop Hill Museum, with original paintings by 19th-century Bishop Hill resident Olof Krans, will be open both days of the event.

Jordbruksdagarna is sponsored by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency; the Bishop Hill Arts Council, which co-sponsors the music and dance performances; and numerous local businesses.

Bishop Hill was founded by Swedish religious dissidents in 1846 as a "utopia on the prairie." Many of the original colony buildings remain today, and many of the residents are descendants of the original settlers. The Bjorklund Hotel, Old Colony Church and Bishop Hill Museum are administered by the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency.

[Text from file received from the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency]